Record Store Day returns for a Black Friday edition on Friday, November 24, with more than 150 vinyl albums and sets released for sale at more than 1,000 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. Among the new releases are more than a dozen jazz LPs, including albums from Chet Baker, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans and Charles Mingus. (See a complete list below.) Of course, there are thousands more vinyl albums of every genre out there for purchase, both new and used.
Record Story Day (RSD) was created in 2007 in order to celebrate independent record stores with a nationwide sale on a Friday in mid-April. Over the years, the event has grown and can rightly take at least partial credit for the revival of interest in vinyl albums. Record labels have supported the event by releasing special albums or sets on that day.
The coalition of stores decided to expand RSD to the famous Black Friday day of retail madness at the same time that mainstream stores and platforms have expanded Black Friday to a week or more of sales, both online and in stores. But RSD is all about supporting your local record store that one day and hopefully on many others. Get out there and add to your collection. Even if your turntable isn’t working, the album cover makes for great art for your walls.
Among the jazz (or jazz-leaning) albums released for RSD are:
Chet Baker Trio Chet’s Choice
Marion Brown & Leo Smith Creative Improvisation Ensemble
The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live From the Northwest, 1959
Eric Dolphy Iron Man
Bill Evans Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964)
Gil Evans & Ten
Dexter Gordon & Slide Hampton A Day in Copenhagen
Chico Hamilton The Master (50th Anniversary Edition)
Norah Jones Playing Along
Les McCann Never a Dull Moment! Live from Coast to Coast (1966-1967)
Charles Mingus Incarnations
Wes Montgomery/Wynton Kelly Trio Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings
Oscar Peterson Con Alma: The Oscar Peterson Trio – Live in Lugano, 1964
Cal Tjader Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse (1963-1967)
Various Artists Black Jazz Records – The Complete Singles
Various Artists Jazz Dispensary: At the Movies
For a listing of participating stores, visit the RSD website.
